Means for connecting wire ends



Oct. 22, 1935. J. KRUFT MEANS FOR CONNECTING WIRE ENDS Filed July 13, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

JObEPH KRUF'T HO /fizfi amw Oct. 22, 1935.

, INVENTOR..

JOSEPH KRUFT BY a $10M w A ,TORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 22, 1935 PATENT oFFieE MEANS FOR CONNECTING WIRE ENDS Joseph Kruft, Rockaway, N. J.,

assignor to Stapling Machines 00., a corporation of Delaware Application July 13, 1934, Serial No. 734,974

9 Claims.

This invention relates to wire joining and particularly to a means and method for connecting the ends of wires secured to adjacent box parts.

It is an object of the invention to provide an efl'icient means and method for connecting the ends of a box encircling-wire binding or the ends of wires secured to adjacent box parts.

It is a further object to provide a connecting means and method for this purpose which may be readily applied and/or practiced by hand and without using any specially constructed tool or mechanical appliance.

It is a further object of the invention to provide connecting means for wire ends of such a character as to permit the connection to be readily connected and disconnected without severing the wires or the connection.

It is a further object of the invention to provide interengageable fastening means for adjacent wireends which may be readily secured to the wire ends.

One illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of connecting means embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a wirebound box showing the manner in which the connecting means is secured to each end of each encircling wire binding and the two adjacent connecting means interengaged to connect the wire ends and complete the continuity of the wire binding. In said figure, one of the connections is shown in an intermediate stage of the connecting ope-ration while the remaining connections are shown in their completed position.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are enlarged perspective views of a box part with the wire stapled thereto and loops on the ends of the wires as shown in U. S.

patent to Inwood No. 1,332,728; and have also been connected by bending the ends of the wires to form bights and then driving the ends of the wire into the box parts to perpetuate the bights, as shown in U. S. patent to Rosenmund No. 1,933,030.

The intertwisting of the ends of the wire as shown in said patent to Bauwens is objectionable because the connection cannot readily be broken without cutting the binding wire, thus rendering the box unfit for a second use. The formation of loops on the ends of the wire as shown in said 5 Inwood patent requires the use of a machine such as that shown in said Inwood patent. Likewise the formation of bights on the ends of the wire in the manner shown in said Rosenmund patent requires the use of a machine for forming and perlo petuating the bight as shown in U. S. patent to Rosenmund No. 1,933,031 of October 31, 1933.

The present invention is intended to eliminate the objections to the intertwisted connection of the Bauwens patent and to provide an interengageable fastener for the wire ends which may be readily applied to the wire ends, thus eliminating the necessity of using expensive machinery for forming loops or bights on the ends of the wire bindings. The fastening or connecting means of this invention is inexpensive to manufacture and may be made up in large quantities and carried in stock by the box user and applied to the wire ends without employing any special tools or machinery.

Referring to Fig. 1, the fastening or connecting means of this invention consists of a piece of wire bent to form a loop or bight l, and having the ends of the legs of the bight coiled as shown at 2 and 3 to leave openings 4 and 5 respectively through which the binding wire may be inserted in the manner hereinafter described to connect the fastening means to the binding wire.

As shown in Fig. 2, one such fastening means is connected to each end of each binding wire on the box, so that one such fastening means may be passed through the other and bent down against the side of the box, as shown.

The manner of securing the fastening means to the end of a wire stapled to a box part is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Referring to Fig. 3, the box part is designated 6, the wire secured to the box part is designated 1, and the staples which secure the wire I to the box part 6 are designated 8.

To secure the fastening means to the wire I the coil 3 of the fastening means is slipped over the end of the binding wire I, as shown in Fig. 3. The upper end of the binding wire I which extends above the coil 3 is then bent into the form of a semi-loop, as shown in Fig. 4, to bring the end of the wire 1 directly over the opening 4 in the coil 2. The fastening or connecting device is then raised, forcing the end of the wire 1 into "the connection tightens the connection, due to the fact that the wire end passes upwardly through the coil 3 and is then bent to pass downwardly through the coil 2. The bond in the wire between the two coils, plus the fact that the two legs of the bend are held respectively by the coils 2 'and 3, prevents the wire I from pulling away from the fastening or connecting means.

When adjacent wire ends have each been supplied with the fastening or connecting means of this invention in the manner shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, one such fastening means may be hooked through the other to connect the wire ends, as shown in 2.

' While the bend in the wire 1, as shown in Fig. 1, may be made by hand without any sort of tool or mechanical appliance, it is usual in practice to 7' employ an ordinary pair of pliers to make this bend in the wire. 7 7

While the pair of fastening or connecting means or" this invention may be interengaged or hooked together by hand, it is usual to employ a simple tool for this operation.

'While the fastening or' connecting means of this invention may be used as the initial connecting means for the ends of a box binding wire,

it may also be used as a secondary or repair connecting means for boxes which have initially been provided with bights or loops by machinery, as shown in said Inwood and Rosenmund patents,

' and which bights have been broken or otherwise rendered unfit for use. In providing wire ends with loops or bights by machinery, occasionally 'one of the loops or bights is defective.

When this-happens the fastening'or connecting means ofthis invention may be substituted for the 'deiective loop or bight, thereby saving a box which would otherwise be discarded as a cripple.

The fastening or connecting means and method of this invention may also be used to repair wirebound boxes, the wires of which have been broken or severed.

It should be noted that this invention provides for the first time a means and method of securing a separate and independent bight to the end 'of a box binding wire;

7 It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the illustrative embodiment, as

the inventive features may be variously embodied and used in various combinations as defined in the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a bight adapt ed to be connectedto a'wire end comprising a wire bent to form a U-shaped bight and having each end coiled to provide an enclosed opening to receive the wire to which it is to be connected, said enclosed openings being of substantial length and in substantial parallelism.

2.. As an article of manufacture, a bight adapted'to be connected to a wire end comprising a wire bent to form a U-shaped bight and having each end coiled to provide an enclosed opening to receive the wire to which it is to be connected, said enclosed openings being of substantial length.

3. As an article of manufacture, a bight adapted to be connected to a wire end comprising a wire bent to form a U-shaped bight and having each end coiled to provide an enclosed opening to receive the wire to which it is to be connected, 10 said enclosed openings being in substantial parallelism.

4. As an article of manufacture, a bight adapted to be connected to a wire end comprising a wire bent to form a U-shaped bight and having each end coiled to provide an enclosed opening to receive the wire to which it is to be connected. r

5. Means for detachably connecting adjacent wire ends comprising a pair of U-shaped bights, each bight consisting of a wire bent into a U- shaped bight'and having each end coiled to provide an enclosed opening to receive the wire, said enclosed openings being of substantial length and in substantial parallelism, whereby each of said pair of bighte may be secured to a wire end. by passing the wire end upwardly through the opening in one coil and downwardly through the open-- ing in the other coil, and the two bights thus'se- 7 cured to adjacent wire ends may be passed one through the other and bent into hooking engagement to connect the adjacent wire ends.

6. In combination with a box binding wire, a fastener consisting of a wire bent to form a U- v shaped bight and having each end coiled to pro-. vide an enclosed opening to receive the binding wire, said enclosed openings being of substantial length and in substantial parallelism, the binding wire extending upwardly through the opening in one coil and downwardly through the opening 40 in the other coil.

7. In combination with a box binding wire, a fastener consisting of a wire bent to form a'U- shaped bight and having each leg o'fthe bight bent to provide an enclosed opening to receive the binding wire; the binding wire extending upwardly through the opening in one leg of the bight and downwardly through the opening in the other leg of the bight.

8. In combination with a box binding wire, a fastener consisting of a wire bent to forma U- shaped bight and having each leg of the bight bent to provide an enclosed opening to receive the binding wire; the binding wire extending through the openings in both legs of the bight and being bent to connect the binding wire to'the bight.

9. In combination with a metallic box binder, a U-shaped metal bight having each leg of the bight bent to provide an enclosed opening to 69 receive the metal binder; the metal binder extending through the openings in both legs of the bight and being bent to connect the binder to the bight.

JOSEPH KRUFT. 

